


In Every Universe...

by castles_and_crowns



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Ben helps Rey with her breakup, Exes, F/M, Ficlets, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, taking care when sick
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-30
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2019-08-09 23:39:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16459259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/castles_and_crowns/pseuds/castles_and_crowns
Summary: This will be a collection of one-shots, inspired by random prompts I see online.  My plan is for them to take place in various universes (canon, modern, etc).  If I feel particularly inspired or if there happens to be a strong response to one particular chapter, I may choose to expand on it.Current chapter: Modern AU where Ben helps Rey move out of her ex's house.





	1. "We Could Get Arrested for This"

**Author's Note:**

> Modern AU: High school with the prompt: "We could get arrested for this."
> 
> (This is Lucasfilm's world, obviously. I'm just playing in it.)

“We could get arrested for this,” Rey whispered harshly to Ben, as they approached Snap Wexley’s large and immaculately groomed front yard.

 

“No, we won’t,” Ben replied. Rey could practically _hear_ him roll his eyes at her.

 

“You don’t know that.”

 

Ben stopped walking and turned around to face her. “People get arrested for legitimate vandalism—things like breaking windows or egging cars. No one’s going to arrest us for throwing a few rolls of toilet paper in a couple of trees.”

 

Rey bit her lip. She was still reluctant to partake in this, but Ben had been insistent.

 

Ben saw her hesitation and rolls his eyes.

 

“ _C’mon_ ,” he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her the rest of the way until they are directly in front of Snap’s house.

 

Rey just stood there, staring at the house she’s spent so much time in over the past seven months. Snap’s house had become like a second home to her, and she had grown so close to not only him but also his delightful mother Norra and charming father Brentin.

 

It wasn’t hard to grow close with such a lovely family when her own home life was of an abysmal quality. They had been so kind to her, inviting her to eat at their house four or five times a week, buying her a new laptop for her birthday, and even taking her with them on their summer vacation to Disney World.

 

But then it had all ended. Snap had broken up with Rey before class had started yesterday morning, saying he was interested in pursuing a relationship with another girl, Baz Netal, in their class.

 

Thirty-six hours later, and Rey still could feel the prickle of tears in her eyes. And looking up at this house—this house that now held so many memories for her—caused the tears to spill over.

 

“Here,” Ben said, breaking Rey from her thoughts. Rey turned to face him and saw that he was offering her a roll of toilet paper. “It’ll make you feel better. Trust me.”

 

Rey sucked in a deep breath and nodded, before wiping her eyes with her sleeve. She then took the roll from his hand and walked a few steps forward. Ben followed a few behind her.

 

“Where should I throw this first roll?” she asked.

 

“How about that tree right there?” Ben suggested, pointing to a large oak tree to the right of the house.

 

It was the tree they shared their first kiss under, though of course Ben didn’t know that.

 

Rey swallowed hard and said, “Perfect.”

 

She pulled her right arm back and then chucked the first roll forward.

 

It crashed directly into the tree, unrolled, and created the most magnificent white mess in the large tree.

 

Rey couldn’t help but laugh at how good that felt. She turned to Ben with her hand out, and he immediately pulled out another roll of toilet paper from the brown paper bag he had been carrying and handed it to her.

 

Rey threw this roll into a slightly smaller tree directly to the right of the massive oak.

 

_This felt amazing._

Pretty soon, she and Ben were decorating Snap’s entire house in toilet paper. Both were stifling back hysterics as they did so, lest they get caught.

 

When they finished, they stood back on the sidewalk and admired their work.

 

“Feel any better?” Ben asked.

 

“A little,” Rey replied, keeping her eyes on the house in front of her. “You really don’t think he’ll know it was me?”

 

Ben chuckled. “Rey, no offense, but Snap isn’t the smartest guy. And you’re goody-two-shoes reputation helps you out a good bit too.”

 

He hip-bumped her, and she giggled a little.

 

“So, you ready to head back?” Rey asked.

 

“Yeah. But first, I want to do one last thing.”

 

The smirk on Ben’s face was nothing short of devilish and his eyes sparkled with mischief. He pulled his cell phone out of the back pocket of his dark jeans and motioned for her to stand in front of the house.

 

“I want to take a picture of you with the masterpiece you created.”

 

Rey giggled and moved to stand in front of Snap’s home.

 

Ben held up his phone to capture the image and just before he did, Rey stuck up both her middle fingers. Ben cackled as he took the picture and continued to laugh after the phone was put away in his pocket once more.

 

“That was brilliant,” he said between guffaws.

 

His laughter quickly became infectious and Rey began cackling as well.

 

Unfortunately, they didn’t realize how loud they were being until the front porch lights came on.

 

“ _Shit_ ,” Ben exclaimed, still laughing. “We gotta get out of here.”

 

He grabbed Rey’s hand, and together, they ran down to the corner, where Ben had parked his car.

 

Once they were safely back in his car and had both caught their breath, Rey heaved a massive sigh and said, “Thanks for that.”

 

“No problem,” Ben said. He had turned the radio on, keeping the track playing on low volume, but had kept the car in park. “I still think he deserved worse but ultimately that was your call.”

 

Rey shook her head. “I just don’t get it, Ben. It’s fucking Baz Netal.”

 

“Fucking _Baz Netal_ ,” Ben repeated with emphasis. “I don’t get it either.”

 

“I mean, she’s pretty, _I guess_ ,” Rey said, falling into the rant she had repeated both to herself and to anyone who would listen over the past thirty-six hours. “But she’s dumb. Like, _really, really_ dumb.”

 

Ben snickered. “Yeah, she is. Dumb, I mean. And she has a terrible personality. I was her lab partner in biology freshman year—“

 

“I didn’t know that,” Rey said curiously.

 

“It was before we became friends,” Ben explained. “But needless to say, I got a close up view of her as a person, and, Rey, you are _so much better_ than her. I don’t know what Snap was thinking. The guy’s an idiot.”

 

“Yeah, I guess.”

 

“He is, Rey,” Ben assured, his eyes boring into hers with almost alarmingly intensity. “The guy’s not worth your time. You deserve _so much_ more.”

 

“Thank you,” she replied, her voice quiet.

 

To her surprise, Ben kept going. He seemed to be lost in his own train of thought. “I mean, what was he thinking? If I were him, I don’t think I’d even _look_ at other girls.”

 

“What?”

 

Ben cleared his throat and his lips twitched nervously upwards. “Um. I just think you’re… _amazing_ , you know? And I just don’t understand what he was thinking.”

 

Rey wanted to cry. “You really think that? That I’m amazing?”

 

“Definitely.”

 

The next thing she knew, Rey was throwing her arms around Ben’s neck and hugging him. It took Ben a moment to fully reciprocate the hug, but when he did, he squeezed her back tightly.

 

When they pulled apart, Rey saw a peculiar look in Ben’s eyes…a look she was pretty sure she hadn’t seen before.

 

“What?” she asked curiously.

 

Ben shook his head and ducked his chin. “Nothing.”

 

“You sure?”

 

“Yeah."

 

Ben then started the car and they began to drive away. Instead of turning around, however, Ben quickly drove them pass Snap’s house. To Rey’s complete delight, she saw Snap on his front lawn. Though she couldn’t see his face in the dark, Rey could tell from his body language that Snap was _pissed._ She and Ben turned to each other and smiled at one another, both utterly pleased with the mess they had caused and Snap’s reaction to it.

 

“Worth it?” Ben asked.

 

“Absolutely,” Rey answered, a broad grin on her face.


	2. "Are you drunk"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Modern AU with the prompt: "Are you drunk?"
> 
> (Apologies in advance for the gratuitous use of italics in this chapter.)

“Why aren’t you answering my calls?”

 

Rey could do nothing but stare at her best friend, who was currently standing in the doorway of her apartment looking frustrated and drenched.

 

It had been pouring all night, and Rey had used the weather as an opportunity to brew a pot of tea, get in her comfiest pair of pajamas, and curl up on the couch with her favorite book— _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows._ She had been thoroughly enjoying her evening; that is, until Ben Solo had shown up on her doorstep.

 

“Rey? You going to say anything?”

 

Rey squinted her eyes at Ben and took a half step closer to him. “Are you—are you _drunk_?”

 

She was pretty sure she could smell whiskey on him, despite the rain soaking through his clothes. And he just had that drunken _look_ —the look she’d come to know so well over the past seven years of friendship.

 

Ben shook his head. “No. Just tipsy.”

 

Rey rolled her eyes. “Go home, Ben. Unless you were stupid enough to drive here. In that case, call an Uber.”

 

“I didn’t drive,” he replied. “That’s why I’m soaking wet.”

 

Rey crossed her arms across her chest but said nothing.

 

“Rey?” Ben prodded for a second time.

 

“ _What?_ ” she snapped.

 

“Why aren’t you answering my calls? Or my texts? I thought something had happened to you.”

 

“I’m fine.”

 

Ben groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “Still doesn’t answer my first question.”

 

Rey shook her head. He really wanted an answer to this, didn’t he? _Well_ , she supposed, _if that’s what he wants, I might as well get it over with._

“We’re really doing this?”

 

Ben stared at her in confusion. “Doing what?”

 

Rey groaned. “Come in, Ben.”

 

Ben walked inside her apartment and stood awkwardly in the middle of her living room, while she went to her linen closet to get him a towel. She tossed it to him upon her return to the living room and watched, emotionless, as he dried himself off. When he was done, he folded the towel up and handed it back to her

 

“Why are you drunk?” she asked, taking the towel from him and tossing it on a nearby chair.

 

“Nope,” he responded, shaking his head adamantly. “I’ve already answered one of your questions, and you’ve yet to answer one of mine. What’s going on with you, Rey? Are you okay?”

 

“I already said I was fine.”

 

She leaned against the back wall of her living room, while Ben remained in the middle of the room, looking confused.

 

“Okay…” he said slowly. “Then are _we_ okay?”

 

Rey opened her mouth to respond, but Ben cut her off.

 

“Because I know for a fact you're still answering Finn and Poe’s texts and calls. So I’ll ask again, are we okay, Rey?”

 

Rey inhaled deeply and then let the breath out. “That’s a complicated question, Ben.”

 

Ben’s face fell, and the way he was looking at her now made Rey’s stomach drop.

 

She had gone through this conversation in her head a million times over the past two weeks. She could do it. She could say what she needed to say. It would be hard, but it was necessary.

_It was necessary._

“Why is it a complicated question?” he asked, his voice gentle.

 

Rey’s lips twitched upward into what should have been a semblance of a smile, but there was no life in it.

 

“You don’t happen to have any alcohol on you, do you?”

 

Ben pulled a black flask from his pocket, and Rey felt the ghost of a _real_ smile grace her lips. She knew Ben like the back of her hand. If he was drunk and had taken the quarter mile walk to her apartment, chances were he had his flask with him.

 

Ben handed her the flask, and Rey unscrewed the top and took a big gulp before handing it back to him.

 

“It’s complicated because we _should_ be okay. You probably _think_ we’re okay. But we’re not. Not really, anyway.”

 

She moved to sit on her couch and motioned for him to sit down too.

 

“But why?” Ben asked, as he, too, sat down on the sofa. Rey was grateful that he left a full cushion between them.

Rey gave him a knowing look. “Why have you been so adamant about getting in touch with me recently?”

 

She already knew the answer, of course. But she needed to hear Ben say it.

 

Ben shrugged. “You’re my best friend. I hadn’t heard from you recently.”

 

Rey shook her head. “No, that’s not why.”

 

“Well, if you already know the answer, why don’t you tell me?” Ben replied, a harsh tone developing in his voice.

 

“You wanted me to go _shopping_ with you, didn’t you?”

 

Ben’s eyes widened. “How’d you know that?”

 

“Poe told me,” she said quietly, looking away from him and down at her hands in her lap. “You wanted me to go _ring_ shopping with you.”

 

“Yeah, I think I’m ready to propose, and I was hoping you could come with me to suggest a few rings you thought Paige might like.”

 

Still looking down at her hands, Rey replied, “You could have asked her sister to go with you. That would have made more sense, don’t you think?”

 

“Yes, but you’re my—“

 

“Best friend,” she finished for him. “Yeah, I know.”

 

“I…I still don’t see what the problem is?”

 

Rey finally looked back up at Ben, her hazel eyes boring into his chocolate brown ones. “You really don’t?”

 

Ben cleared his throat. “No.”

 

“I think it’s time we give each other some space.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I mean exactly what I said. It’s time we cut the cord don’t you think? You just told me you’re ready to get _married_ , Ben. You don’t need—no, you _shouldn’t_ need—me in your life like before, the way you used to. You’ve got Paige now. _She_ should be your best friend.”

 

As Rey spoke, she watched Ben’s eyes grow darker and darker with anger. She braced herself for the explosion she knew was coming.

 

“So what? I’m not allowed to have female friends anymore?” he snapped.

 

“That’s not what I mean, and you know it,” she said calmly in response. “I’m saying _our_ friendship could benefit from some distance. We’re too close, Ben. And…and frankly, I’m exhausted by it all.”

 

“You’re exhausted by our friendship?”

 

 _“No_ ,” Rey replied. “I’m exhausted from you asking me to help plan romantic getaways for you and Paige. I’m exhausted from you asking me what a good birthday or Christmas present would be for her. I’m _exhausted_ from you saying that we are going to spend the day together and then dragging me to some fancy lingerie store to help you pick out something for her for Valentine’s Day. You’re almost twenty-seven years old, Ben. You can do this kind of stuff for yourself.”

 

Ben turned pink with embarrassment. “I asked you to do those things with me because I thought you’d be good at it. You’re a girl…you know what girls like.”

 

Rey rolled her eyes. “No, I know what _I_ like. I have no idea what Paige likes. We don’t all love the same thing, you know?”

 

Ben spoke in a quiet voice and said, “Well, she liked what you helped me pick out.”

 

Rey had to laugh. She just had to. This conversation was quickly veering away from the actual point she was trying to make—the point Ben clearly still wasn’t getting.

 

“That’s great,” she chuckled derisively. “Except I don’t enjoy doing those things with you. Half of our friendship has become me helping you with Paige. Remember your first fight? Who did you call, drunk, at two in the morning? Me. Remember when she had suggested that you two take a break? Who let you live at her apartment, while Paige figured out that she still wanted to be with you? _Me._ ”

 

Rey grabbed the flask, which Ben had previously set on her coffee table, and gulped down a large helping of the drink. Ben just watched her, probably in shock. When she set the flask back down, she met his eyes, steeled herself once more, and sighed.

 

“Ben, I’m sorry. But I can’t do this anymore.”

 

“Do what?”

 

“Be there for you all the time, like I have been in the past. I just can’t. I’m sorry.”

 

Ben scooted an inch or two closer to her. “I don’t want you to ever feel like I’m using you.”

 

“I know you’re not trying to,” Rey replied quietly. The gusto she’d had from a moment ago had all but disappeared from her voice.

 

"I’ll try and be better. No, I _will_ be better.”

 

Rey shook her head and smiled sadly. “It’s not enough.”

 

“I don’t understand.”

 

Rey cleared her throat and took a deep breath. “I don’t think I can be around you anymore, Ben. Not now that you’re planning on proposing to her.”

 

“What?”

 

His eyes, which had previously been bewildered and sad, had suddenly become sharp, and Rey had to convince herself to maintain eye contact with him.

 

“It hurts too much. I can’t handle it.”

 

“It hurts? Rey, are—“

 

“I love you,” she said, cutting him off. “And I know that’s really shitty of me to tell you. I know I should keep it to myself like I’ve been doing for the past seven years—”

 

“You love me?” he interrupted, his voice unreadable.

 

“I really wish I didn’t,” she said, looking back down at her lap. Her voice was growing thick and tears were quickly forming in her eyes. “It’d be so much easier if I didn’t. I tried not to. For so long, I swear I tried so hard not to. There were so many guys, so many first dates you didn’t know about. But none of them…”

 

She trailed off, shaking her head. She was certain he could finish her thought.

 

Rey risked a glance up at Ben, who was staring at her with a flabbergasted expression.

 

“I’m sorry,” she said, looking away from him and shaking her head. “God, I’m sorry. I wish it didn’t have to be this way, I just—“

 

“How long?”

 

She met his eyes again. The look she saw in them had transformed from shocked to almost _demanding._ He was clenching his jaw and out of the corner of her eye she saw that his fists, which were resting on his thighs, were clenched.

 

“About six and a half years.”

 

Ben practically scowled at her answer, and Rey felt something inside her quake.

 

“We’ve been friends for _seven years_ , Rey.”

 

“I _know_ ,” she said, her voice almost breaking as she once again tried to steel herself.

 

Ben let out a long-suffering sigh and stood from the couch. He began to pace her living room, and she could only watch him. His fists were still clenched and his jaw was now ticking almost without pause.

 

“ _Fuck_ ,” he hissed under his breath. “I can’t believe you’re telling me this _now_.”

 

Rey rose from the couch as well, scoffing at his indignant reaction.

 

“It’s not like I wanted to,” she rebutted, anger rising. “But it’s the only way to make you see that we can’t be friends anymore.”

 

“That’s not what I mean!” he said, rounding on her. “I _mean_ , you’ve waited until I’m about to propose to Paige to finally tell me how you feel.”

 

She put her hands on her hips, squaring off with him. He was red in the face now, and she was certain she was too. “ _Finally_ tell you how I feel?”

           

“Yes, Rey!” he shouted, throwing his hands up in the air and moving to get into her personal space. “Because I fucking love you too! But you’ve chosen the absolute _worst_ time to make this confession, and now everything is fucked up. _Why_ , Rey? Why didn’t you tell me?!”

 

He had said so much in so few sentences, and Rey’s head was spinning, trying to keep up. _He loved her?_ The words had stopped her heart. But then immediately after, a shot of adrenaline went through her and her heart picked back up as he shouted at her in an alarmingly accusatory tone, demanding she explain to him why she’d never told him.

 

“Why didn’t you tell _me_?” she shot back, just as harshly.

 

He stepped away from her, ran a hand through his black hair, and once more began to pace. “You never looked at me that way,” he said, his voice now taking on a slightly calmer tone. “You’ve always been so…bro-y with me. I never thought in a million years…”

 

“You never acted that way with me either,” she said quietly but with a fair amount of defensiveness.

 

Ben collapsed back on her couch. Still standing, Rey watched as he dropped his head in his hands and let out a massive, frustrated groan. After a moment, Rey joined him on the couch again, closer to him than she’d been earlier but still far enough to not be _too_ close.

 

He finally looked up at her, his expression pained.

 

“I don’t want to give you up.”

 

“It’s not your decision,” she said softly, sadly.

 

“I just wish I would have known,” he stated, almost as if he hadn’t heard her last comment. “I had no idea, Rey. _None_. I would have made you mine in a heart beat.”

 

The tears were back. Rey swallowed hard and replied, “I would have loved that.”

 

Ben reached out and wiped the tears from Rey’s face. It was a more intimate gesture than was normal between them, and she let his fingers brush against her cheek, closing her eyes and savoring the moment.

 

When his fingers pulled away, Rey opened her eyes. Ben was looking at her with a dangerously tender expression.

 

“ _Paige_ , Ben,” Rey reminded him. “You’re with Paige. You love Paige.”

 

Ben nodded and the expression on his face cleared.

 

 Rey took a deep breath. “I think it’s time for you to leave.”

 

Again, Ben nodded, and together they stood from the couch. Ben pocketed his flask and they made their way to her front door.

 

“You’re going to call an Uber, right?” she asked, as she put her hand on the knob of her front door.

 

“Yeah,” he answered, pulling his phone from his pocket and pulling up the app.

 

Rey watched him in silence. A few moments later, he replaced the phone in his pocket and said, “There’s one two minutes away.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“I’m not sure how to say goodbye,” he told her.

 

She crossed her arms against her chest, protecting herself. “Me neither.”

 

“Can I…hug you?”

 

Maybe it wasn’t a good idea. But Rey had been so strong tonight throughout this entire ordeal, and she thought she could allow herself this one moment.

 

“Yes,” she answered.

 

Ben took the step forward and opened his arms up. With surprisingly little hesitation, Rey moved into his arms, and they held each other. The tears fell quickly now, and Rey thought she felt tears from Ben drop onto her head and shoulders. They squeezed each other tightly for a long while before Rey finally moved out of his embrace.

 

“Your Uber’s probably here,” she said, swiping her face with the back of her hand. When she looked back up at him, it was confirmed for her that he was, in fact, crying; however, unlike her, he didn’t bother to wipe away the tears. They were still freely falling.

 

Ben swallowed hard. “Yeah.”

 

Rey took another step back. “Bye, Ben.”

 

“Goodbye, Rey.”

 

***

 

Rey was a mess. She didn’t leave her apartment at all on Sunday or Monday, deciding to take a personal day from work. She was just so _heartbroken._ Of course, she knew ending her friendship with Ben would hurt. But the way everything went down had been so much worse. She’d had no idea that he loved her back. They’d always treated each other as best friends, and Rey never got a glimpse of anything that would have led her to believe Ben reciprocated her feelings.

 

It was now Monday night and it was raining again. Usually, Rey liked the rain, but tonight it just depressed her. Similarly to Saturday night, she was in comfy pajamas with a mug of tea and curled up on her couch, half watching re-runs of _The Office_ and trying to convince herself to get up and go to bed.

 

She finally persuaded herself to go to bed at the end of this episode when there is a banging on her door.

 

It was probably Finn. He’d been texting her all day, checking up on her, and she’d only been answering with the bare minimum responses, so he was probably worried about her.

 

As she got up from the couch, the percussive sound on the door grew more aggressive.

 

“Okay, okay, I’m coming,” she shouted.

 

Groaning, Rey wrenched open the door, and to her shock, she saw Ben standing there, just as he had been on Saturday night, except this time he wasn’t soaked from the rain. He was holding up an umbrella.

 

“Ben,” she gasped.

 

“Can I come in?”

 

Rey took a moment to look him up and down, to examine him. “Are you drunk again?”

 

Ben rolled his eyes in obvious frustration. “No. I’m completely sober. Now, can I come in, _please_?”

 

Rey tentatively nodded and stepped aside so that Ben could walk enter. She shut the door behind her and leaned up against it.

 

Crossing her arms, she said, “Whatever you have to say…it won’t make a difference.”

 

Ben, who stood about four feet from her, took a deep breath and responded, “I broke up with Paige.”

 

“You did _what_?” Rey’s eyes widened and she dropped her arms from her chest.

 

“I ended things with her. Last night.”

 

Rey frowned, partially confused and partially angry. “Why would you do something so stupid?”

 

Now Ben frowned. Or more accurately, he scowled. “Do something so _stupid_?”

 

“Yeah. You were going to marry her. You _love_ her.”

 

“I love _you._ ”

 

The power and conviction with which Ben had said those words would have caused Rey to take a step back had her back not already been against the door.

 

“B-but you love her.”

 

Ben shook his head and took one step toward her. “Thinking about it now, I’m not even really sure I did. I might have, in a way. But not the way I love you. The way I’ve always loved you. And Paige deserves someone who loves her and only her.”

 

The tears began to prickle in Rey’s eyes and in the smallest voice, she asked, “So what does that mean?”

 

Ben took another step toward he. He wasn’t quite crowding her, but he was just inching into her personal space.

 

“It means,” he began, taking another deep breath and looking directly into her eyes. “It means that I want you. I love you, Rey, and I want you.”

 

Rey inhaled a sharp breath, and Ben raised his hand to her cheek and gently stroked.

 

“So tell me what you want me too. Please tell me you want me too.”

 

She leaned into his touch and whispered, “I do. Of course, I do. I always have.”

 

Then Ben cupped her cheek and said, “Then I don’t want to waste another second.”

 

And with that, he leaned in and finally closed the space between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This prompt took me way too long to write because I couldn't decide how I wanted to end it. I hope the ending I decided on wasn't too abrupt. I just love angsty conversations, haha, which is why it's not super fluffy.
> 
> Thanks for reading :)


	3. "I Could Kill You Right Now"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Modern AU with the prompt: "I could kill you right now."

“I could kill you right now,” Rey whines at Finn, as she lies in her bed and he stands in the threshold of her bedroom door. If she had energy, she’d be screaming at him, but she’s currently too weak for that.

 

Finn brushes her threat off easily. “Be reasonable. You’re sick as a dog. I can’t leave you here on your own.”

 

“I’ll be _fine_.”

 

“I almost had to take you to the hospital because your fever got so high last night.”

 

“It dropped though.”

 

"And thank God for that,” Finn sighs. “But still, I’d feel better about leaving you if I knew someone was keeping an eye on you.”

 

“So you called my _ex-boyfriend_?”

 

“He’s the only person I knew who wasn’t going home for Thanksgiving,” Finn shrugs, as he approaches her bed and kneels by it. “Listen, Rey, I know this isn’t ideal—“

 

Rey tries to snort but her nose is so stuffed up that she can’t.

 

“I know it’s not ideal,” Finn repeats, “But he’s a decent guy. You and I both know that. And he promised me he’d take care of you.”

 

And it’s at that moment that her ex-boyfriend, Ben Solo, approaches her bedroom and knocks on the open door.

 

“Hey,” he says hesitantly. “Poe let me in.”

 

Finn stands from the bed and walks to Ben. Rey watches, annoyed, as they shake hands.

 

“So, I’ve been keeping a schedule of when she’s been taking medicine. I’ve also been keeping track of her fever. Like I said over the phone, it spiked last night, but, thankfully, it went down. Poe just got back from the store, so the kitchen is fully stocked with chicken soup, oatmeal, Gatorade, and tea.”

 

Ben nods. “Sounds good. I brought some stuff over too.”

 

“Great,” Finn replies. “Thank you again.”

 

“It’s no problem. You and Poe have a good trip.”

 

“We will.” Then he turns to Rey and says, “Get well, peanut. I’ll see you in a two days.”

 

"Thanks. See you soon,” she mutters. She doesn’t dare look Ben in the eyes, even though she can see him staring at her out of her periphery.

 

She watches as Finn and Ben make their way out of her room. She hears Ben bid Finn and Poe a goodbye and a few moments later, she hears the door shut. She supposes it’s too much to hope that Ben will just leave her be and not return to her room.

 

But, of course, he does.

 

“So,” he says softly, as he enters her room once more. “The flu, huh?”

 

“We don’t have to do this,” she tells him, turning her head away from him so that her other cheek is resting on her pillow and she’s staring at the wall.

 

“Do what?” his deep voice asks.

 

“ _Talk_. Just make sure I don’t die and we should be good.”

 

“C’mon, Rey—“

 

“Don’t ‘c’mon Rey,’ me,” she snaps. She’s weak, so her retort is lacking most of its ferocity, but Ben knows her well enough that she supposes he gets the picture.

 

Rey hears Ben let out a groan in frustration, and she feels slightly satisfied by his reaction. If she has to be miserable, so does he.

 

“I’d like to take a nap now,” she says. There’s a heavy finality in her voice.

 

There’s silence for a moment, but then finally, Ben replies, “Fine.”

 

There are retreating footsteps, and then her door closes. Rey heaves a sigh of relief, feeling completely drained despite having barely moved, and quickly falls asleep.

 

***

 

“Rey.”

 

She hears a soothing, deep voice call out her name, but sleep still has her in its grasp.

 

“Rey.”

 

The voice, which Rey now recognizes as familiar, calls her again, but she doesn’t want to open her eyes.

 

“ _Rey, wake up_.”

 

This time a hand is placed on her shoulder as her name is called, and Rey groans before slowly opening her eyes.

 

When she looks into those golden brown eyes, she remembers exactly why she hadn’t wanted to wake up.

 

“What do you want?” she mutters, her voice thick from both illness and sleep.

 

Ben immediately removes his hand and then picks up a bottle of Gatorade that had been sitting on her nightstand and hands it to her. “It’s time for you to take your meds.”

 

He drops some pills in her free hand, and she quickly swallows them and washes them down with lukewarm Gatorade.

 

“How are you feeling?” he then asks.

 

“Like shit.”

 

Ben’s lips pull down into a frown. “Are you feverish?”

 

Before Rey has a chance to answer, he’s reaching out to rest a hand on her forehead. Rey immediately pulls back, away from his touch.

 

“What do you think you’re doing?”

 

“Seeing if you’re warm?”

 

“Just bring me the damn thermometer. You don’t have to _touch_ me.”

 

He rolls his eyes and digs a digital thermometer from his pocket.

 

“Here.”

 

She takes the thermometer from him and puts it under her arm and then adjusts to lie on her back so that she doesn’t have to look at him. Much to her annoyance, he just stands there, and she can feel his gaze on her.

 

“You know oral thermometers are more accurate, right?”

 

“Well, I don’t have one of those.”

 

He hums in response, and for some reason the sound irks her just as much as it would as if he’d given a real reply.

 

A minute later the thermometer beeps, and she pulls it from under her arm.

 

“100.1,” she reads.

 

“Not great, but no need to bring you to the hospital just yet,” he declares, taking the thermometer from her. She’s pretty sure she sees him fighting a smirk.

 

“You’re not taking me to the hospital,” she tells him.

 

“If your fever gets too high, I will. I promised Finn.”

 

“Oh, come off it, Solo.”

 

“Solo?” he asks, quirking a brow. “Are we that formal now that you can’t call me by my first name?”

 

Rey groans again. It’s the only response she can muster.

 

“Alright, _Niima_ , I’ll let you get back to sleeping. Holler if you need anything,” he says, turning around to exit her room.

 

“Not likely.”

 

She’d muttered the words to irritate him, but it seems like it might have worked too well because Ben stops in his tracks and slowly turns around. His brow is pinched and his jaw is clenched.

 

_He’s pissed._

His voice is tight when he speaks.

 

“You know, Rey, I know you don’t like me very much, and I honestly can't say I blame you. But we have a history, and when Finn called and asked if I could keep an eye on you for a couple days, I said yes because I care about your wellbeing. You don’t seem to want to believe it, but I’m really trying here, so I’d appreciate if you were a little nicer to me.”

 

“Fine.”

 

“Fine?” he asks skeptically.

 

“Yeah,” she shrugs. “Whatever.”

 

Ben exhales and runs a hand through his hair. “Okay, well…I’ll let you get back to resting.”

 

***

 

Rey wakes up with vomit quickly rising up her throat. She’s not sure how she wills her frail body to get out of bed, but somehow she does and manages to rush into her bathroom, which thankfully is connected to her room.

 

She practically falls on the tiled floor and spills her guts into the toilet.

 

In the middle of her retching, Ben rushes into the bathroom. She attempts to let out a choked _leave_ , but it’s really no use. For his part, Ben kneels beside her and pulls her hair back for her with one hand, while rubbing slow circles into her back with the other.

 

“ _Oh, God_ ,” she wines, as she feels the vomiting starting to subside.

 

“ _Shh_ ,” he soothes. “You’re okay. You’re alright.”

 

When it’s clear she has nothing left to vomit, Ben releases her hair and reaches up to flush the toilet. He then stands and goes to her cabinet to grab a washcloth. Rey watches, too exhausted to stop him, as he wets it in the sink and then kneels beside her once more and hands it to her.

 

“Thank you,” she says. It’s the first time she’s said those words to him since he’s been here.

 

“You’re welcome,” he replies.

 

As she wipes off her face, he returns to rubbing her back. It’s incredibly pacifying, and any thought of telling him to stop evaporates from her mind.

 

“You think you’ve got any more left in you?” he asks.

 

She shakes her head. “I don’t think so.  I actually feel a little better now.”

 

“Good," he replies, sounding genuinely pleased.  "I actually had just started chopping carrots for soup when I heard you. If you think you’re good, I’m going to go finish it.”

 

Her eyes widen. “You’re making soup? From scratch? Didn’t Finn buy, like, a dozen cans or something?”

 

Ben chuckles. “Trust me. This soup is ten times better than anything out of a can.”

 

Rey’s lips twitch upward. “Okay.”

 

“So, you’re good?”

 

“Yeah,” she sighs.

 

Ben stands and then offers his hand to her to help her. She’s certain it’s just a second-nature gesture to him, but she hesitates for a second anyway before finally placing her palm in his and allowing him to pull her up.

 

Ben goes back to the kitchen, and Rey settles back in her bed. She’s awake now, so she decides to grab her laptop and finds something to watch on Netflix. She’s about a third of the way through a nature documentary when Ben knocks on her door.

 

“Come in,” she calls.

 

Ben opens the door but stays in the doorway. “The soup’s ready. Did you want some now, or…?”

 

“Now is good.”

 

“Okay,” Ben nods, before returning the way he came.

 

A minute later, he returns with a steaming bowl of soup on a tray that Rey wasn’t even aware they had in the house.

 

Ben leans down and places the tray on her lap. She watches as he glances over at her laptop and then turns to her.

 

“You’re watching that?”

 

Rey frowns at him. “Yeah. Why?”

 

“I watched it recently. It was the best doc I’ve seen in a long time.”

 

“Oh. Well…if you want to stick around and finish it with me…”

 

“Oh. Uh, yeah. Sure.”

 

He grabs her desk chair from the other side of the room and drags it over to her bed, though he still keeps a respectable distance. Rey turns the laptop slightly so that has a better view and they watch in silence.

 

Once the soup’s stopped steaming, Rey goes to take her first bite and then moans in satisfaction as she does so. It’s the first meal she’s had in over twenty-four hours, and it’s _amazing._

“Ben,” she almost gasps. “This is really good!”

 

“Oh, so we’re back to using first names now, are we?” he asks, smirking.

 

Rey rolls her eyes and fights the smile trying to stretch across her face. “I’m serious. You’ll have to tell me what site you got the recipe from.”

 

She takes another bite but turns to Ben when he doesn’t answer her inquiry. Swallowing, she says, “Is it a secret or something?”

 

Ben runs a hand through his hair. “No, it’s not a secret. It’s actually Leia’s recipe.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Yeah,” he says, clearing his throat. “We’re talking again.”

 

Rey smiles before taking another spoonful of soup. “That’s great, Ben. I’m so happy to hear that.”

 

Ben shrugs. “Don’t get too excited. It’s still very…stilted. And I still can’t talk to Han.”

 

“Baby steps,” Rey nods. “I’m proud of you.”

 

Ben tilted his head, surprised. “Really?”

 

“Yeah. Definitely.”

 

Ben grins a little and then turns his attention back to the documentary. They don’t speak about it anymore.

 

***

 

When the documentary ends, Ben goes to take the tray with the bowl from Rey.

 

“Don’t get too close,” she says, finding herself teasing him. “You don’t want to catch this.”

 

“I got the flu shot,” he tells her. “I should hopefully be fine.”

 

“Yeah, I’m kind of regretting not getting it now.”

 

Ben snorts as he walks toward her door. “No kidding.”

 

“Next year for sure.”

 

Ben nods and looks down at the tray in his hands before his gaze returns to her. “Well, I’ll let you get back to…resting.”

 

***

 

A few hours later, Ben wakes Rey up again for her medicine. At his request, she also takes her temperature and is relieved to see that it’s dropped a little more. She does all of this dutifully with no barbed remarks directed at him. Ben is deferential as well, and it’s a sharp contrast from their earlier interactions.

 

“I’m going to put on a movie in the living room and then go to sleep,” he tells her. “If you need anything, just holler.”

 

Rey nods. “Okay.”

 

“Night, Rey. Glad you’re feeling a little better.”

 

He’s standing in the doorway, his hand tapping on the side of the threshold.

 

“Thanks,” she responds. “Night.”

 

He lingers for a moment, tapping the threshold a few more times before offering her a small smile and turning off her light switch and closing the door behind him.

 

Rey tries to sleep, but despite the medicine, which should be making her drowsy, she’s _awake._ Maybe it’s because she’s slept all day, or maybe it’s because of Ben and how their interactions have changed throughout the course of the day.

 

She had been furious that morning when she first saw him. But then he had made sure she took her medicine on time, held her hair back when she threw up, made her soup from scratch, and didn’t bite back when she baited him.

 

_It was weird._

 

Towards the end of their relationship, all they did was fight. It became something of a game—which could piss the other one off the most. But Ben wasn’t playing that game now. He didn’t even look like he _wanted_ to play that game.

 

 

The way he’s been with her today…it almost makes her miss their relationship because, for the most part, it had been a good one. It wasn’t until the end that things began to fall apart. At the time, Rey had chalked it up to neither of them having the best relationship models in their lives, and while that still could be true, she was starting to think a lot of it just had to do with maturity. Perhaps in the thirteen months since they’d broken up, Ben has matured. Perhaps she has as well.

 

She grows more and more awake as she dives deeper into the analysis of her and Ben’s relationship. Pretty soon she realizes she’s not going to fall asleep any time soon and before she realizes it, she’s climbing out of bed and heading to the living room.

 

Ben is sitting on the couch in the dark, watching some movie she doesn’t recognize. He notices her immediately, and thank to the glow of the television, she sees his eyes grow wide.

 

“You okay?” he asks. She can clearly hear the note of concern in his voice.

 

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just…couldn’t sleep.”

 

He doesn’t respond and just looks at her with what she interprets to be a mildly confused expression.

 

She turns her attention to the television.

 

“What are you watching?”

 

“Rambo.”

 

“I’ve never seen it.”

 

“It’s good. Dark, but good.”

 

She nods. They’re still just _looking_ at each other, and she wonders what he’s thinking.

 

“Mind if I join?” she asks. “Just for a little bit.”

 

“Sure.”

 

He scoots to the edge of small couch so that she has room to sit. They sit in silence, watching the movie. Rey has almost no idea what’s going on, but she finds she really doesn’t mind. It’s nice just sitting here with Ben. It feels like the old days, the good days.

 

After about ten minutes, Rey grows a little cold, so she scoots closer to Ben, who has a blanket draped over his lap. When she moves closer, his head turns to her and he watches her curiously. She ignores his gaze, and instead takes some of the large blanket from his lap and moves it onto her own.

 

“Cold,” she mumbles.

 

“Yeah,” he whispers in response before turning his attention back to the film.

 

***

 

Rey wakes up to the sound of gunfire coming from the television. She had fallen asleep during the movie and apparently, she’d fallen asleep on Ben’s shoulder.

 

He must feel her jerk awake because he looks down at her.

 

“Sorry,” she says, lifting her head from him.  

 

“No, it’s okay. Go back to sleep if you want.”

 

His voice is so soft and soothing, and it makes her heart almost _ache._

 

She tentatively rests her head back on his shoulder but keeps her eyes open, attempting to watch the movie once more. A minute later, Ben gently puts his arm around her shoulder, and almost without thinking, she burrows into his side even more.

 

“I’m sorry,” he tells her, his voice still incredibly soft.

 

“For what?” she asks.

 

“For everything that happened between us. I was an asshole.”

 

She chuckles a little. “Yeah, well, so was I.”

 

He hums. “Maybe. But I was worse. I think that maybe in a way…I knew what I had with you was so good, and I sabotaged the whole thing on purpose.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Maybe because you scared me. Maybe because I didn’t think I deserved you.”

 

To her surprise, she takes Ben’s hand, which is resting on his thigh, and squeezes it.

 

“We should talk about this more when my head’s a little less fuzzy,” she says.  

 

“Yeah, we should.”

 

Once again, they return their attention to the movie. Rey begins to nod off again, but just before she falls asleep, she feels a light kiss on the crown of her head and she smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ficlet went through a million different versions before coming out the way it did. Hopefully, it all came out somewhat cohesively though.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	4. Moving Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben helps Rey move out of her ex-boyfriend's place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Modern AU
> 
> I didn't write this after seeing a prompt anywhere. There was just a line that popped into my head (you may figure out which one after reading) that I wanted to write a fic around.

Ben settles down at his desk Friday morning, determined that today will be the day he finishes his latest freelance piece. He opens up the unfinished document, puts his fingers on the keyboard, and—

 

His phone rings.

“Shit,” he mutters to himself, thinking he should have put the damn thing on silent.

 

But then he looks down at the screen to see who’s calling and his heart jumps into his throat.

 

_Rey._

It’s been almost a month since they’d last talked. Okay—well, that wasn’t exactly true, but it was close. Occasionally, he’d send her little inconsequential texts, and she’d reply with a short, equally inconsequential response. But beyond that, they hadn’t really spoken. And he hadn’t actually _seen_ her in, jeez, maybe three months?

 

Things are… _weird_ right now between them. Rey’s boyfriend hates Ben, and frankly, the feeling is mutual. Unfortunately, this means that Ben doesn’t really get to see or talk to his best friend of six years a lot as of lately.

 

So when his phone starts ringing and a picture of him and Rey from their post-college trip to Disney World four years ago appears on his phone, signifying it’s her calling, Ben is both surprised and thrilled to get the call.

 

“Hello?”

 

A half a second pause and then, “Hey, Ben.”

 

Hearing her voice again after so long…it’s bizarre and it sends a jolt through his chest.

 

“Hey. It’s been a minute.”

 

“Yeah, it has,” she chuckles, though it mostly comes out as awkward and forced. “I’m really sorry about that.”

 

“It’s okay.” _It really wasn’t, but that was beside the point._ “What’s going on?”

 

“I need a really big favor from you. If you can’t, or don’t want to, I totally understand, but I’ll buy you dinner if you help. And beer. As much beer as you want.”

 

Little did she know he’d do literally anything for her without needing something in return.

 

“What do you need?”

 

“I need help moving my stuff out.”

 

“Oh.”

 

Rey clears her throat. “Yeah, um, Will and I broke up.”

 

 _Oh._ “I’m sorry, Rey. When?”

 

“Yesterday. I’m staying with Rose right now and took the day off today to move all my stuff out while Will’s at work. I would have asked Finn and Poe to help me, but they’re out of town, and, of course, Rose got called into work this morning. And I know we haven’t talked in awhile, and I feel horrible about that, especially now that I’m asking you to take a whole day to help me move all my stuff out, but—“

 

“I’ll do it.”

 

“Oh. Are you sure?”

 

“Yes, definitely.”

 

“Oh, okay. Thank you so much, Ben!”

 

Her relief bleeds over the phone to him, and a small smile creeps onto his face. “It’s no problem. Should I pick you up?”

 

“No, just meet me there. I’ll be heading over soon.”

 

When Ben gets off the phone, he quickly changes from his sweatpants and ratty t-shirt and into jeans and a dark blue flannel shirt. He grabs a few empty boxes he has laying around and then heads over to the house Rey shares—well, _shared_ —with Will.

 

Ben pulls up to the house and finds Rey’s car is already in the driveway. The front door is unlocked, so he lets himself in.

 

Rey must hear the door open because she shouts, “I’m in the bedroom!”

 

Ben follows the sound of her voice and finds her in the bedroom, digging through drawers.

 

When she turns and sees him, she runs over to him and embraces him.

 

“Thank you for coming,” she says against his chest.

 

Gosh, he’s missed her. She feels so right in his arms, with her head against his chest and her small body pressed against his. He hasn’t been able to just _hold her_ like this since she got together with Will.

 

“Don’t mention it. I’m glad I could help, though I’m sorry about the circumstances.”

 

She pulls back and Ben notices that her eyes are red and wet. She clears her throat and says, “Yeah, well…it was time.”

 

They get to work, packing up all of Rey’s belongings from the bedroom. Neither says much, though Ben is itching to ask her a million questions. He wants to know what exactly happened between Rey and Will, who broke up with who, was it a long time coming, and is Rey alright?

 

But he knows Rey well enough to know that she’ll tell him all of these things eventually, and clearly, she’s not interested in having that conversation now.

 

After boxing up the bedroom, they begin packing up the living room, getting to work on Rey’s massive DVD and Blu-Ray collection and her books.

 

Rey chuckles to herself as she pulls them down from the shelves and stacks them in a box.

 

Ben looks over from the bookshelf he’s standing by. “What is it?”

 

To his delight, Rey has an genuine smile on her face as she answers, “Just thinking about how pissed off he’s going to be when he sees all of the movies are gone. I mean, they’re all mine, so I’m taking them, but he’s definitely not going to be happy about it.”

 

“What else can we take that would piss him off?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.

 

A loud bark of laughter escapes her, and she says, “Let’s see: the toaster, the coffee maker, the mixer, the waffle iron—basically the entire kitchen. That’s all my stuff.”

 

He gives her a mischievous look. “Perfect.”

 

The sincere grin on Rey’s face grows, and suddenly, it feels like it used to be between them: _relaxed and completely at ease with one another._

Around lunchtime, Ben goes out and grabs them Cuban sandwiches from a nearby place they both love.

 

They take a break from packing and sit at the kitchen table to eat, and by now, they are talking like the old friends they are—something Ben is very grateful for. She still won’t bring up what exactly happened between her and Will, and Ben won’t ask. He’ll wait for her to feel comfortable enough to tell him, no matter how much the possibilities of what might have happened run through his head.

 

There’s something else running through Ben’s mind, as well: Rey’s living situation. He’s been thinking about it all morning, and just as they finish lunch, he brings it up.

 

“You said you’re staying with Rose for now?” he asks, after swallowing the last bite of his sandwich.

 

“Yeah, but hopefully not for too long.”

 

“Would you be interested in staying at my place instead?”

 

Eyes wide, she looks up from her sandwich. “Um…”

 

“You don’t have to,” he’s quick to add. “But Rose lives in a one-bedroom apartment, right? I assumed you’d be sleeping on her couch. I’ve got a two-bedroom townhouse, where you’d have your own room. Not to mention, my place is at least twenty minutes closer to your office than Rose’s is.”

 

He watches Rey carefully as she crumples up the foil her sandwich had been in into a little ball. She places her elbows on the table and studies him in that way of hers that Ben has always found disarming.

 

“You’ve really thought about this.”

 

Ben shrugs, going for casual. “Just thought it might make your life easier, what with everything else going on.” He motions to the boxes around them.

 

After a moment of silence, Rey nods. “Thank you. It would. Okay, I’ll stay with you.”

 

A warm wave of satisfaction floods Ben’s body.

 

Later in the afternoon, once they’re done boxing up Rey’s things, Ben helps Rey load all the boxes into both of their cars. Ben stands outside, leaning against his car, waiting for Rey to finish up inside the house when Will’s black sports car comes from down the street

 

“Shit,” Ben mutters under his breath, as the car turns into the driveway and parks.

 

At that very same moment, Rey comes from inside the house, holding one last box on her hip. Ben watches as her eyes go from his to the car that Will is now getting out of.

 

Will slams his car door shut and stalks toward Rey.

 

“What’s _he_ doing here?” he asks, his voice sharp as nails.

 

“You’re home early,” Rey replies, ignoring his question as she adjusts the box on her hip. “You said you wouldn’t be home until after five.”

 

“Oh, am I not allowed back in the house that I bought?”

 

Ben sees Rey roll her eyes and he bites the inside of his cheek to keep from smirking.

 

“You’re perfectly allowed,” she answers. “We were actually just leaving.”

 

“Oh, _we_ , huh?”

 

“Ben helped me pack.”

 

Scowling, Will finally turns to face Ben stares evenly at the man, offering him neither a wave nor a smile.

 

“Why am I not surprised to see you, Solo?” Will asks, his tone biting.

 

“Well, hopefully, it’ll be the last time,” Ben counters, raising an eyebrow. He walks the few steps toward Rey, walking past Will to do so, and takes the box from her.

 

He thinks he can hear Will practically _growl_ at the action, and he can’t help but relish in the moment, no matter how petty.

 

“You ready?” Rey asks, crossing her now-free arms.

 

“More than,” Ben responds.

 

***

 

While Rey heads over to Rose’s to collect a few things, Ben stops to get Italian takeout and a bottle of Rey’s favorite red wine.

 

Once Rey arrives back at his place, they quickly unload most of the boxes into the guest room, then eat, before finally settling on his couch, each with a glass of wine and the bottle sitting nearby on the coffee table.

 

“Thank you so much for this,” Rey says, raising her glass a little. “Actually, thank you for this entire day. You’ve been a Godsend.”

 

Ben’s cheeks warm, and he hopes they’re not _too_ pink. “You know I’d do anything to help you out. You’re my best friend.”

 

At his words, Rey gives him a half-hearted, guilty smile and shakes her head. “God, I’m sorry, Ben.”

 

She doesn’t get more specific, but they both know what she’s apologizing for.

           

“It’s okay,” he says finally, his voice quiet and his eyes down and looking at his wine glass.

 

“It’s not. I shouldn’t have disappeared. I shouldn’t have let him—“

 

“I know.”

 

Her eyes begin to water, and Ben wants nothing more than to wrap her up in his arms and take away her pain. She opens her mouth, tries to speak, but then only shakes her head, looking defeated. When she tries, and fails, to speak a second time, tears begin to leak from her eyes.

 

“It’s really—“

 

“It’s not.” She exhales shakily and then adds, “I want to talk about this more. And I owe you a better explanation. But tonight, can we just watch a movie and finish this bottle of wine?”

 

“Absolutely.”

 

After five minutes of sifting through Ben’s movies, they settle on Hitchcock’s _Rear Window_ , a movie they both love.

 

About halfway through the film and with the bottle of wine finished, Rey gets up and goes to his kitchen. She comes back a moment later with a bottle of whiskey from Ben’s pantry and two shot glasses.

 

“Shots?” she asks, quirking an eyebrow. There’s an impish gleam in her eye that Ben finds just short of alarming.

 

“In the middle of the movie?”

 

She shrugs. “Sure, why not?”

 

“I’ve really got to get up tomorrow and write, but I’ll do one.”

 

“Perfect.”

 

“I mean it, Rey. Just one.”

 

She chuckles. “Okay, okay.”

 

Rey sets the glasses down on his coffee table and pours whiskey. He takes his shot glass, clinks it against hers, and shoots it down.

 

As he goes to put his glass down, she’s already helping herself to a second shot.

 

“You okay there?” he asks, eyeing her carefully. She’s never been a big drinker, so this behavior is surprising if not slightly concerning.

 

“Definitely,” Rey answers, smiling at him before downing another shot.

 

She throws back a few more shots throughout the course of the film so that by the end she’s both drunk and sleepy, resting her head against his shoulder—something she’s never done before, drunk or sober, awake or asleep.

 

As the credits roll, she begins to lazily stroke his lower thigh though his jeans. Ben recognizes that it’s not an overtly sexual move, but it is intimate. And while they may be best friends, nothing like _this_ has ever happened.

 

Of course it’s not that Ben doesn’t _want_ something like this to happen. He’s wanted something with Rey for as long as he’s known her. But he doesn’t want it like this.

 

So, although her ministrations feel really, _really_ nice, Ben clears his throat and says, “I’m going to take a shower and then set up the guest bedroom for you. Sound good?”

 

Rey nods against his shoulder, her hand pausing on his thigh. “Yes. Thank you.”

 

He takes a quick shower, while decidedly _not_ thinking about that moment on the couch, and then gets the guest room for ready for Rey. The bed is already made, but Ben knows Rey sleeps with an absurd amount of layers, even when it’s blazing hot outside, so he gathers all the extra blankets he can find and adds them to the bed. For good measure, he adds a few additional pillows to the bed as well.

When he returns to the living room, he finds Rey lying on her side and taking up the entire couch. Because her eyes are shut, he allows himself a full smile as he takes in the sweet image of Rey, his best friend and the girl he’s been absolutely gone for since day one, sleeping on his sofa. She looks so peaceful, but he knows from too many times accidently falling asleep on his couch that her neck will ache terribly in the morning if she sleeps there throughout the night.

 

Kneeling down beside the couch, she gently shakes her shoulder.

 

“Hey,” he says softly. “I’ve got your bed made.”

 

Rey sighs and takes her time getting up from the couch. When she stumbles a little bit, Ben, who is now thankfully standing once again, reaches out and places his hands on her shoulders to steady her.

 

“Thanks,” she mumbles. Her speech is a little slurred and her hazel eyes, which had been bright a bit mischievous as she’d taken shots, are now tired and a little sad.

 

“No problem,” he says, squeezing her shoulders a little before releasing her. He doesn’t want to; he wants to hold on to her forever, wants to pull her back into an embrace like the one from. But if he hugs her again he might not let her go, and that’s not what either of them needs right now.

 

She offers him a small smile and then walks in the direction of the guest room. He remains where he is, watching her until she’s closed the door behind her.

 

***

Sometime later, he startles awake to someone opening his bedroom door and making their way to his room.

 

“Rey?”

 

“Ben.” Her voice is soft and the tone is undecipherable as she crawls into his bed.

 

He immediately jolts up. “What are you doing?”

 

It’s dark, so he can’t make her face out. He really wishes he could because then maybe he’d have a better idea of what the hell is going on.

 

“I couldn’t’ sleep. I’m not used to sleeping alone.”

 

“Oh. You, um, you want to sleep here tonight?” he asks, though it’s pointless because she’s already under the covers.

 

 _“Please._ ”

 

“Okay. Okay, that’s fine.”

 

“Thank you.” She sounds relieved and maybe even a little…breathless?

 

“No problem. Um, good night.”

 

He goes to lie back down, but she calls out his name again.

 

“Yeah?”

 

Suddenly, he feels arms around his neck and soft lips pressed against his.

 

Ben freezes. His mind goes utterly blank, unable to believe what is happening. Rey moves her lips against his, but he is paralyzed. This moment is all he has wanted for years—but… not this way.

 

He only breaks out of his trance when he feels Rey start to nudge his lips open. Breaking away, Ben reaches for his bedside lamp and quickly turns the switch on. When he turns back to Rey, she’s already got her eyes open and they’re furiously searching his. A look of rejection begins to pass over her face when she seemingly does not find what she had hoped for.

 

His heart breaks as her face crumples, tears falling from her eyes and her bottom lip trembling.

 

“Rey…”

 

“I thought you—all this time, I thought this is what you—“

 

Cutting her off, Ben says, “Not like this.”

 

He reaches out and carefully wipes a few tears from her cheeks as he continues. “I’m your best friend. Not a drunken rebound. If this happens, I want it to be for real.”

 

She seems to absorb his words and then, in a broken voice, says, “I’m sorry.”

 

“No, don’t be sorry,” he tells her. “It’s okay.”

 

Rey wipes a few tears from her eyes and in the smallest, most vulnerable voice he’s ever heard from her, she says, “I meant what I said before.”

 

“What’s that?”

 

“I’m not used to sleeping alone. Could I please stay with you tonight?”

 

He chews at his lip, trying to decide the best course of action. It’s clear from the look on her face that she’s upset and that she really, _really_ doesn’t want to sleep alone tonight, and Ben loves her— _so much_ —and wants to be there to comfort for her. But if she tries to start something again, it’s going to be so much harder to stop.

 

As if she’s reading his mind, she all but begs, “Please, Ben. We’ll just sleep. I promise.”

 

“Okay,” he says, after a beat.

 

“Thank you,” she responds, offering him a watery smile.

 

He turns the lamp off once more, and they both lie down in the bed, far enough away from each other that they’re not at all touching.

 

Ben tries to sleep. But then he begins to hear sniffles. They’re soft enough that he knows Rey is trying to hide them, but she’s obviously not succeeding.

 

Making a quick decision that he hopes won’t be interpreted the wrong way, he moves towards her in the bed and wraps his arms around her middle. Wordlessly, she scoots into him, her back against his chest and whispers a soft and broken _thank you._ He doesn’t respond, just squeezes her a little.

 

Eventually, the sniffling stops, and Rey’s breathing evens out. Only then does he full allow himself to fully relax and make another attempt at sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've been writing this fic for MONTHS. Probably since November. It's gone through many re-writes, and I'm still not completely happy with it. But I'm tired of it just sitting on my computer staring at me, and since this collection is just little fics, I decided to just post it. I am free of it now!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this soft angsty piece.

**Author's Note:**

> I posted this instead of sleeping. 
> 
> If you see any prompt you'd like me to try, comment below. No guarantees, but I'll do my best to write something for it. I just ask to please keep it between a G and a mild M rating.
> 
> [Tumblr](https://castle-and-crowns.tumblr.com)
> 
> Thank you :)


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